Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1165935
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 SEPTEMBER 2019 INTERVIEW Malta has jumped to the top of the European table when it comes to equality and gay rights: scoring 90% in the recent Rainbow LGTBiQ Map. It seems that most of the local gay community's demands – for example, marriage equality – have been met. All of which raises a question: does Pride Week still mean the same, in an age when homosexuality is clearly more accepted? If you only look at the Rain- bow Map, you might very well ask yourself, 'What is the point in a Pride March?' But the real- ity on the ground is very differ- ent. Just because there are laws, on paper, protecting and giv- ing rights to minority groups, it doesn't mean that problems don't exist, or that there's no discrimination. So 'Pride', to me, means that we still have to be present, visible, and make it a point that we're still there: first of all, to celebrate. We need to celebrate our achievements, but also to remind people that there is diversity that needs to be respected. The stories on the ground are not that everything's fine; we still hear of discrimina- tion taking place, harassment, online harassment, institution- al homophobia… transpho- bia, in particular, is something that a number of individuals are experiencing. These often take the form of hate crimes. So even if there is legislation to protect gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, etc. – even if we have obtained marriage equality, adoption, and all the other things we once only dreamed about – hate crimes still happen. And some people are still scared to report them. In reality, then, I think that Pride is still needed. And even if we reached a stage where everything was perfect, I still believe we would need to continue marching in solidar- ity with other countries. There are other countries –in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas… all over the world, really – that are way, way behind us. There are even countries where rights have been granted, but are now being taken away: like the US, for example. Besides, there are other solidarity issues with other minority groups as well. Intersex persons, in Malta, are still largely invisible, for instance. For us, it is not just about marching for gay rights. We still need to be there, vis- ible, standing in solidarity with other minority groups within the broader gender spectrum. One of the criticisms sometimes levelled at Pride is that: if the ultimate goal is 'equality', why does the gay community feel the need to make a show about being 'different'? Doesn't that contradict the ultimate goal? 'Being different' is one thing; being treated differently is an- other. Historically, 'being dif- ferent' meant that you were treated differently… so you were 'unequal'. Today, we strive for equality; in the sense that you are treated the same, no matter how 'different' you are. Though we have achieved a lot, in reality, we have not achieved full equality yet; and we may never do. Even in a perfect state, it would be very difficult for people to be truly equal… in the sense that society will always have its own perspectives, and negative attitudes towards one category of people or another. For me, it's more a case of equi- ty, rather than equality. If a per- son with disability needs three steps to achieve their goals, and I need only one… I should not be in any way spiteful towards that person, because I'm getting one, and they're getting three. But then again, we do need to celebrate our differences; be- cause it is our differences that make us a diverse society. For instance, around 15 years ago – roughly the same time Malta held its first Pride March – the Council of Europe came out with a slogan: 'all different, all equal'. That's the idea behind Pride: we don't need to all be the same to be equal. We can all be different, and celebrate the differences that exist between individuals, but enjoy the same rights and opportunities. Earlier you said that 'we're not there yet' when it comes to full equality. What would you say Malta still needs to work on? In terms of rights, I think we've achieved as much as it was realistically possible to achieve. The 90% score on the Rainbow Map confirms that. Basically, what's still missing is the Equality Act… which is needed to update the exist- ing Equality Between Men and Women Act. This needs to be opened up to other remits. For instance, the EU's Equality Di- rective also talks about 'goods and services'. Basically, if some- one goes to a coffee shop with a same-sex partner, the establish- ment should not be able to re- fuse to serve them on the basis of their sexuality… But surely that is already illegal in Malta…? The Constitution does have a clause that prohibits that kind of discrimination, yes. But it is gen- eral, and does not go into spe- cific details. Having an Equality Act would make it more open: by including, written in black on white, all the possible grounds of discrimination so as to en- compass everything. Elsewhere, surrogacy is something else that is still missing… Surrogacy is also one of the areas that is still highly contentious in Malta. Do you see it as a realistic objective to pursue? It is a very hot potato here, yes. But surrogacy is not just for same-sex couples; if it is intro- duced, it will be for everyone: including heterosexual couples who might need it… In fact, the last time the issue was raised in Parliament was in connection with IVF and assisted fertility… Precisely. In the US, for ex- ample, it is mostly heterosexual couples who use it. But part of the reason it's so controversial, I think, is that the issue is often brought up in conjunction with abortion here. Unlike abortion, however – which is being dis- cussed locally, at some level – there is no real debate about surrogacy in Malta at all. It's an issue that has been put on the shelf, so to speak. But I do think we need to start discussing it: it's a subject that hasn't been explored enough. People might know what surrogacy is, but not how it works. Myself included, by the way. I don't know very much about it: what I do know was mostly gleaned from mov- ies or television… the media… maybe a paper I once read. But in reality, that is not being 'in- formed'. Maltese society is not informed enough about it; we don't talk about it enough. So I think an adult, civil, in-depth discussion needs to start hap- pening. And also research, to determine whether it is even feasible, in such a small country – because we also need to look at our demographics. Maybe we would need to enter into an agreement with another coun- try … I'm talking off the top of my head here, but we do need to look at from this perspective. As Malta's 16th annual Gay Pride Week comes to a close, COLETTE FARRUGIA BENNETT – MGRM committee member and social worker with Rainbow Support Service – outlines why Pride is still relevant, in a society that hasn't fully overcome its prejudices Pride and prejudice Raphael Vassallo Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt